Goal of the ACC’s Mountain Leadership Program
To provide a national forum for emerging club leaders to improve their own personal leadership skills for leading groups in the context of Alpine Club of Canada activities at the local section level.
Preamble:
This course is for new and emerging Alpine Club of Canada leaders, or for moderately experienced leaders, who seek to enhance their contribution to the section by attendance in this course. The focus of the Leadership Training Program is to provide training for those who currently are, or wish to become, active section trip leaders. The best candidates will be those who already show a commitment to being active at their local section level (but not necessarily currently leading trips.) Applicants do not have to be experienced leaders in the Club, but rather those whom the sections have confidence will continue to lead section trips and/or contribute to the Club.
This course is not designed to replace local section leadership and training initiatives; rather, it is an excellent starting place for new leaders and a focused learning / sharing program.
Participants must have basic pertinent skills as demonstrated by attendance at the prerequisite basic level hard skill training courses plus additional experience. All applications must be accompanied by a letter of endorsement from the local section executive. Participants should be fit, strong, and have confidence in their own skills. A major focus is on teaching group management, terrain management, and people management skills in the mountain environment. (First aid will not be covered and should be part of the prerequisite skills possessed by applicants.)
Training activities will be conducted by two ACMG guides. (An experienced ACC amateur leader assists on the summer course only). They will guide and instruct each segment of the program with daily field activities, and coordinate them with morning and/or evening presentations and group discussions. Participants on the summer course should not come expecting to climb the ‘biggest peaks in the area’ but rather expect to climb more moderate objectives while gaining experience and knowledge in both soft and hard skill topics.
All of our meals will be provided and prepared by camp cooks who round out the course staff and may also mentor and certainly inspire. Participants will assist with routine meal and housekeeping chores and duties.
There will be ten participants in total at each of these camps with a mix of representatives from ACC sections nationally.
To apply, you must have the endorsement of your Section Executive. If your section chooses to endorse more than one person, we will ask the section to prioritize the applicants from the perspective of the general good of the section.
In addition to these endorsements, you must provide two letters of reference. The references must be from climbing, mountaineering or skiing partners or climbing guides or instructors that are familiar with you. The application form is meant to assist the Leadership Development Committee to assess all applicants.
Please ensure that your application is complete, and that you have submitted your letters of reference. Incomplete applications will be rejected.
The following criteria are used when assessing applications. Your potential contribution to your section and the club is one of the major criteria. The strongest technical climbers or skiers will not necessarily be chosen over a technically weaker applicant who shows more promise with regard to future contributions to the club.
- Applicants must be active, contributing members of the ACC, and show a willingness to commit to leading trips or volunteering with their section once they’ve taken the course
- Applicants must submit a complete application, including all requested references
- Applicants must have the appropriate and adequate technical skills and abilities
Within these guidelines, the committee strives to create equality amongst the numbers of participants from different sections. Remember that there may be twice as many applicants as there are spots available, so please do not be disheartened if you are not selected on your first try and be prepared to apply in one or more subsequent years. No applicant is guaranteed a spot.
Please note that the Leadership Development Committee strongly prefers that applications and letters of endorsement be completed and submitted electronically. Email your supporting documentation to adventures@alpineclubofcanada.ca. If possible, please have the people writing your endorsement and references email us directly and do not have them send the letter of reference through you as the applicant.
The deadline for applications is as follows:
Winter Course: fall, 2021 (to be confirmed)
Summer Course: March 2021 (to be confirmed)
Late applications will not be accepted. Completion and return of the ACC’s Waiver of Liability form is a condition of registration in our Mountain Leadership Courses. Participants will not be allowed to attend the course if the completed form is not received prior to the commencement of camp. You can download the form from the Waivers page.